How to write a restaurant job ad for Millennials and Gen Z

Millennials and Generation Z are entering the workforce and changing it completely. Their wants and needs have a complete different focus to that of your older employees which means that the job descriptions that you used two years ago, have essentially become ineffective.

If you want to invite young individuals to your team, the first thing you should do is change your approach. We’ve done some digging and found some key Millennial and Gen Z wants and needs which that you should know about. Understanding these will help you to write a job ad that will not only grab the attention of up-and-coming applicants but keep them with your business for longer.

Provide opportunities to grow within your business

The first thing you should learn about Millennials and Gen Z is that they are more ambitious than previous generations. They have no intention to stay in one position for a long time. They are always looking for ways to develop their hospitality skills and they want to get promoted as soon as possible.

In other words, these generations have embedded thinking about the need to progress. Melanie Springfield, an HR analyst at Best Writers Canada, says: “You should provide young people with a chance to grow their position. [When] writing a job description, don’t forget to mention [the] fact that your restaurant welcomes individuals, who are ready to walk through a career path from a server to a general manager.”

Include bonuses and the potential for a pay rise

With a better position comes a better salary. So, if you want to attract talented applicants, you should promise to pay high bonuses for hard work and dedication. Also, you should add information about any medical plans, ancillary policies, or any other benefits, which you can offer.

“If Millennials and Gen Z see great perspectives in a job described, they will accept your offer even though the initial salary is pretty low. In fact, they are more interested in moving toward their financial goals step by step than getting an instant monetary reward,” explains James Daily, a content manager and founder of Brainished blog.

Provide personal growth opportunites

Do you provide employees with free access to online hospitality courses, food service training, retail beverage training, and other educational programs? If yes, then you will easily grab the attention of the young people.

But if you don’t organize any courses at all, it’s time to review your business strategy. It’s unlikely that young talents will want to work at your restaurant if you don’t show any interest in enabling their full potential.

However, professional development of your employees is not the only thing which matters. Amanda Sparks, a digital marketer and author of Top Down Writer, states: “Generations Y and Z strive for personal development. While working in a restaurant, they want to acquire not only direct professional skills but also some additional practical skills.”

For example, they may want to perfect and attain social and multi-tasking skills. They may also want to learn more about time management, teamwork, and conflict resolving.

Put an emphasis on teamwork

Socializing is an important factor for young people. They hope that their new colleagues will become their good friends. Millennials and Gen Z want to make sure that they will not feel like strangers at work.

For this reason, you should emphasize how your hospitality business supports a quality relationship among coworkers. Do you offer team building activities, provide online restaurant employee training, or run “the best team” competitions? You should prove a fact that teamwork is greatly appreciated at your restaurant.

Use straight-forward job titles and descriptions

Younger generations want self-explanatory and easy-to-search job titles. They are always on the move, and will most likely not spend more than three minutes to review a job ad with an unclear title or ambiguous description. If you want to make sure your restaurant job will catch the attention of the young talents, check out these useful services:

• Glassdoor. If you have no idea how to formulate a job title correctly, visit this popular job board. Analyze the titles used by your key competitors and apply their best practices.
• Canada Writers. If you have no idea how to write an effective online job posting, you can get assistance from professionals. Check this resource to find a writing service, which you can trust.
• Upwork. If you are looking for something a little cheaper you can also get writing assistance from a freelancer, who has relevant experience. Just make sure to check their portfolio to ensure that they are a guru in job posting.
• Top Australia Writers. If you need to find a professional editor or proofreader who will polish the description of your restaurant job, this is a great site to use.
• Grammarly. If you’d rather do the editing with minimal help, use this tool to fix spelling errors, typos and grammatical mistakes in your job description before posting it online. 

Millennials and Gen X are ready to work harder than previous generations. But they are also more demanding: they are looking for an employer who will provide them with opportunities for professional and personal growth and will also set an adequate level of bonuses. So, if you want to make sure that your restaurant job ad will catch the attention of young talents, make sure that your offer meets their high expectations.

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Natalie Andersen is a chief content writer and enthusiastic blogger. She is passionate about helping local hospitality businesses get exposure and become closer to their clients.

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